Bush Speaks Out for Rumsfeld  —  President Bush interrupted his Easter vacation yesterday to offer an unequivocal vote of confidence in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, in a move aimed at countering a growing wave of criticism from retired generals calling for the Pentagon chief to resign over his leadership of the Iraq war.

The Left, Online and Outraged  —  Liberal Blogger Finds an Outlet and a Community  —  SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. — In the angry life of Maryscott O'Connor, the rage begins as soon as she opens her eyes and realizes that her president is still George W. Bush.  The sun has yet to rise and her family …

Iran issues stark military warning to United States  —  Iran said it could defeat any American military action over its controversial nuclear drive, in one of the Islamic regime's boldest challenges yet to the United States.  —  "You can start a war but it won't be you who finishes it," …

Zarqawi Retreating?  —  General John Vines, the commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps, told a policy conference that al-Qaeda terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has conceded defeat in Iraq and has begun pulling out, thwarted in his attempt to bring down the elected Iraqi government by his own heavy-handed tactics.

Fran O'Brien's Loses Lease  —  Steakhouse Caters to Walter Reed Patients  —  The steaks are great, of course.  —  But it isn't the T-bones, the porterhouses or the rib-eyes that will be sorely, even painfully, missed when Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse loses its lease and closes its doors this month.

Law to Segregate Omaha Schools Divides Nebraska  —  OMAHA, April 14 — Ernie Chambers is Nebraska's only African-American state senator, a man who has fought for causes including the abolition of capital punishment and the end of apartheid in South Africa.  A magazine writer once described him as the "angriest black man in Nebraska."

E-Mails Tie Former GSA Official to Abramoff  —  Safavian Attorney Objects to Disclosure  —  Federal prosecutors last night released hundreds of e-mails documenting the business and personal ties between former White House aide David H. Safavian, lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and a network of congressional representatives and staffers.

Exxon Chairman Gets $400 Million Retirement Package Amid Soaring Gas Prices  —  Exxon Made Record Profits in 2005  —  April 14, 2006— Soaring gas prices are squeezing most Americans at the pump, but at least one man isn't complaining.  —  Last year, Exxon made the biggest profit of any company ever …

For Immigrants and Business, Rift on Protests  —  In Bonita Springs, Fla., 10 restaurant workers were fired this week after skipping their shifts to attend a rally against legislation in Congress cracking down on illegal immigrants.  In Tyler, Tex., 22 welders lost their jobs making parts …

U.S. Building Massive Embassy in Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - The fortress-like compound rising beside the Tigris River here will be the largest of its kind in the world, the size of Vatican City, with the population of a small town, its own defense force, self-contained power and water …

The Crucial Difference Between Liberals and Leftists  —  In his recent account of a breakfast book party at the home of Tina Brown and Harry Evans, Eric Alterman misquoted me slightly but significantly.  What I actually said was "the hate America tendency of the [Democratic Party's] left wing" …